Machine for cleansing and treating



Jun'e 4, 1940. n. E. BONNER MACHINE FOR CLEANSING AND TBEATING Filed may 5, 1939 4 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY June 4, 1940. D. E. BONNER MACHINE FOR CLEANSING lANI) TREATING Filed May 3, 1939 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

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,Doz/GL QS E BON/V5@ Maaik/ ATTORNEY June 4, 1940. D. E. BONNER 2,2932@ MACHINE FOR CLEANSING VAND TEATING Filed May 3, 1939 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 a IN V EN TOR. ,Doz/@p96 EE0/VME@ V ATTORNEY June 4, 1940. n. E. BONNER 2,203,251

MACHINE FOR CLEANSING AND TREATING Filed lay 3, 1939 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. ,Baus/.A75 '.BQNA/.e-,e

SBY M l ATTORNEY Patented June 4, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 9 Claims.

My invention relates tol cleansing and treating machines and has for its object to provide a machine of simple construction whereby articles such as dishes in domestic, hotel or restaurant use, or articles of metal or other materials in industrial use or in the process of manufacture,

,may be washed or otherwise treated with liquids in a varietyof operations in a reliable and eiiicient manner and entirely under automatic control after having been started. My invention contemplates further the provision of an electrical control means arranged and operating in a novel manner to control the function of given means such as for instance the operation of an electric motoras embodied in the aforesaid novel machine.l Other specific objects will appear from the description hereinafter, and the features of novelty will be pointed out in the claims.

The instant application isa continuation-inpart of another application filed by me in the United States Patent Ofce on September 16, 1931, Serial No. 563,029, which has matured into Patent No. 2,157,112, dated May 9, 1939. p

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate examples of the invention, without defining its limits, Fig. 1 is an elevation of the novel machine; Fig. 2 is a similar View, partly in section, looking at right angles to Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of the machine on an enlarged scale; Fig. 4 is a plan view of the machine showing the interior thereof; Fig. 5 is an i11- verted plan view with parts in section; Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section showing an overflow arrangement; Fig. '7 is a diagram showing an arrangement of electric circuits for the novel electrical controlling means, and Fig. 8 is a sectional View showing a part of the machine to illustrate another arrangement of the electrical controlling means.

While theillustrated example of the novel machine with its associated novel features, for purposes of explanation and description, is shown in a form intended primarily for washing dishes,

' silverware, etc., in domestic use, it is to be underoperation of the machine by means f a hinged cover I2, suitable provision being made to releasably lock said cover I2 in its closed position.

The machine further includes a reservoir I3 located exteriorly of the tank I and divided interiorly into a plurality of compartments by means of one or more partitions Il provided in their lower portions with one or more openings I5 whereby communication between adjacent compartments is established, as will be more fully pointed out hereinafter; the illustrated example 10 shows the reservoir I3 provided with a single partition I4, whereby said reservoir is divided into a chamber or compartment I 6 arranged to contain the washing liquid or its equivalent and a chamber or compartment Il adapted to contain a rinsing or other cooperating liquid, depending upon the functions which are being performed by the machine. 'Ihe reservoir I3 is further provided with a check valve I8 in communication with the chamber I'I so arranged 20 that air will pass freely out of said chamber but will be prevented from passing into the same. 'Ihe reservoir is also provided with inlet tubes I9 and 20 leading respectively to the chambers I6 and I'Id and having their upper ends open. 25 The inlet tube communicates at a point above the reservoir I3, with an overow tube 2| extending through said reservoir and downward' beyond the same. An intake pipe 22 leads from the bottom of the reservoir I3 to the sump II 30 and establishes communication directly between the latter and the Acompartment I6 of said reservoir. The intake pipe 22 is controlled by means of a valve 23 arranged to be manipulated by a handle'24 combined with a pointer 25 adapted 35 to move across a dial 2B to indicate the position of the valve and the duration of the operative period of the machine. The sump II accommodates an impeller 2'I arranged to throw liquid in the' tank upwardly and carried by a shaft o 28 rotatively operated by a motor 29 to correspondingly actuate the impeller 21.

A lower drain tube 3U leads from the bottom of the sump II and is connected with the overflow tube 2l as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 7; an upper drain tube 3l depends from the bottom of the tank I0 so as to communicate with the interior of the latter, and is connected with the lower drain tube 30 as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

In addition to the parts so far described, I m have provided a novel electrical control means which includes spaced electrodes 32 projecting into the sump I! and constituting terminals of an electric circuit which includes the electric motor-29; the` electrical control of the machine 55' is effected by the liquid in the sump il in cooperation with said spaced electrodes 32 or in equivalent arrangements by liquid arranged to co-operate with similar electrodes in a correspending manner.

In the machine shown in the drawings, these electrodes 32 are so located as to be positioned at a point below the lower edge of the impeller blades 21, as shown in Fig. 3. Since with this arrangement the electric current must of necessity pass through the liquid when the machine is in operation,l and unless prohibtively expensive insulation is provided to insulate the tank I3, the possibility exists that persons coming in contact with the metal parts of the machine may receive electric shocks during the operative periods of the machine The average house current at present in use is around 110 volts; this would give a decidedly noticeable shock which, in some cases, might be serious. In addition a current. of this voltage can present an objectionable re hazard.

It is 4therefore desirable to disassociate the grounded house current from the metalv parts of the machine. 'I'his is accomplished by means of the aforesaid novel electrical control means wherein'the house current is arranged to produce another independent current by induction, which induced current is passed through the liquid in the machine to operate a relay controlling the admission of the house service cur-.

'rent to the motor 23. Fig. 7 shows diagrammatically an example of the novel electricai equipment and wiring whereby the above indicated results are obtained and in which alternating electric current from 'a house service outlet is led through wires 33 to a transformer 34. The latter is connected by means of a wire 35 with one of the terminals 32 and by means of a wire 36 with one lside of the coil of a relay 31, the other side of said coil being y connected through a wire 38 with the other of said terminals 32. Means is provided for short circuiting or bridging the gap between the terminals 32 for the purpose to be more fully set forth hereinafter. In Fig. 7 the short circuiting means is manually controlled and comprises a momentary switch 39 from which a wire 40 leads to the wire 35 and which co-operates with a terminal 4| from which a wire 42 leads to the wire 38; in Fig. 8 the short circuiting means operates automatically and comprises two additional terminals 32a projecting into the sump Il in spaced superimposed relation to the terminals 32 or in any other relative relation thereto in other equivalent arrangements. The Y additional terminals328| are connected by means of wires 40' and 42n respectively with the respective wires 35 and 38. One of the wires 33 from the house line is connected with a wire 43 which leads to the' motor 29, the other wire 33 from the house line leading to one end 44 of a relay armature 45, through a connecting wire 45.' The armature 45 when attracted by the relayv magnet contacts with the terminal or contact 41 of a wire 43 which leads to the motor 29, thereby admitting current to the latter.

The liquid'in themachine will be electrically grounded to earth while the machine is being filled from a house water pipe or while being drained into a house wastepipe or if the tank of the machine has a conducting metallic connecv...tion leading to earth. Hence if the house service current were passed through the electrodes', for energizing the relay., instead of the secondary independent current I employ, a short circuit would occur if the machine happened to be plugged into the house electric line so the service line ground were on the side opposite the machine ground.

I have vfound that a relay wound with a coil of comparatively high resistance, properly arranged, will fail to function when the circuit is closed by clear water covering the electrodes 32 and yet will function as soon as the electrodes are bridged by a better conductor. The relay 31 is accordingly o f the above-mentioned type which will not close when the liquid between the electrodes is pure'water. In such case the relay 31 may be closed, for instance by momentarily. operating the switch 39 to bridge the gap between electrodes 32. The relay 31 responds instantly to the operation-of the switch 39 and the motor 29 starts and both continuein operation until the sump Il has finally drained andthe electrodes 32 are no longer connected by liquid therein. The result of the aforesaid arrangement is that the machine may be positively started by actuating the momentary switch 39 and'itstops positively because the residue clear water in the sump at the end of the rinsing operation hereinafter referred to is `just enough to keep the relay 31 functioning and when the electrodes 32 are clear of the liquid, or per ps only partly submerged, the relay 31 is denergized vand permits the armature 45 to move away from the contact 41 to thereby break the electric circuit and stop the motor 29.

Obviously the novel result effected by the momentary switch 39 could be accomplished by other equivalent means. For instance, as shown in Fig. 8, the momentary switch 39 could be re placed by the addition of the current supplied Y 'through additional electrodes 323' located in a higher or in any selected part of the tank where said additional electrodes 32a would come in contact. with liquid therein and thereby increase the current admitted to the relay 31 .to energize said relay sufficiently to cause its armature 45 to close. Such an alternative and equivalent arrangement is shown diagrammatically in Fig. 8.

Pure water, Ya comparatively poor electrical conductor, can be made a much better conductor by the addition of small quantities of various substances, such for instance as salt. With the arrangement described above positive cutoff of the motor can be provided even though the water happens to be a comparatively good conductor at the end of the machines operation, and even though small particles of this water remain bridging electrodes and permitting the passage of a very small amount of current. This is accomplished by designing the relay so the amature will break well before its energizing current falls to the maximum that will pass between electrodes 32 when small particles of comparatively high conductivity, residual water bridge the electrodes 32. With this very desirable arrangement the introduction of additional current by means of the momentary switch 39,. or by the additional electrodes 32L referred to above. is necessary to energize the relay 31 sumciently to close its armature 45 and start the motor.

Referring to Fig. 8 and the'substitution of electrodes 32l for the momentary switch 39 the operation is as follows: When liquid admitted to the machine rises in the sump Il high enough to cover electrodes 32 but not high enough'to reach electrodes 32, the current passed through electrodes 32 is insumcient to cause' the closing rg,

of relay armature 45 and just enough to keep this armature closed once it is closed by the admission of more current to the relay coil 31. When this liquid rises higher and high enough to even partly cover electrodes 32a, there is passed through them .to the relay coil 31 the necessary additional current to close relay armature 45 and operate the motor 29. By arranging electrodes 32 so they must be almost .entirely submerged by liquid to prevent the relay armature 45 from breaking, small amounts of residual liquid, or solids, which may remain bridging electrodes 32, at the end of the machines operation, will not pass enough current between electrodes 32 to prevent the relay armature 45 from opening and the motor 29 from stopping.

From the above it is evident that the application of. these novel arrangements is not limited to machines of the kind described hereinbefore, and that they can be advantageously employed in other fields and devices. l

The operation of the machine is as follows: Through a hose connected with a hot water faucet, or otherwise, hot water is passed into the reservoir I3 through the tubel I9 until both of the reservoir chambers I6 andl1 are full, as indicated by overflowing out of tube 2l. The handle 24 is now operated to open the valve 23, which permits cleaning liquid from the washing compartment I6 of the reservoir I3 to pass into the bottom of the sump I I until said liquid submerges the electrodes 32 The current passing across electrodes 32 being insufficient to energize the relay 33 enough to close its armature 45, momentary switch 39 is then operated and this energizes the relay sufficiently to shift the armature 45 into engagement with the contact 41` and cause the motor to operate. From this stage on, the operation of machine isentirely automatic.

When the cleaning liquid rises in the sump II to a point where it comes in contact with the impeller blades 21, the latter will throw said liquid upwardly into said tank Ill in the form of a spray against articles to be washed which were previously placed in tank I0.

The cleaning liquid is circulated by the. impeller 21 many times a minute. In the meantime, this liquid is draining out of the machine through .drain 3l at a comparatively slow rate.

While this washing period is progressing, the liquid feed to sump II is solely from the washing compartment I6 of the reservoir I3. Check valve I8 prevents the clear, rinsing water from leaving the rinsing compartment I1. Eventually the level of liquid in compartment I6 will fall below the levels of the openings I5 in partition I4 and the liquid seal between the two compartments I6 'and I1 will be broken and clear water will begin to escape from compartment I1 vand nd its way into sump II. Water comes in contact with the impeller blades 21, all or practically all of the dirty washing liquid has drained out of the tank I0.

When the rinsing water has drained out of the tank to the extent that the amount .in the sump II is insufficient to reach the bottom of impeller blades 21 the spray ceases.V When the rinsing water in the sump II recedes so as to' expose electrodes 32 the electric circuit to the coil of. the relay 31 is broken, the relay armature opens and the motor 28 stops automatically.

The purpose of .dividing the reservoir I3 Ainto a plurality of compartments is to insure uniformity in the strength of the cleaning liquid throughout the washing period. If a cleaning Before the rinsing compound were placed directly in tank I0 the washing liquid would be excessively strong at the start of the washing period and there would be tracesl of the Washing liquid present at the end Various other changes in the specific forms shown and described -may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

' I claim:

1. In a machine of the kind described, the combination of a tank adapted to contain liquid, means for impelling said liquid in said tank, an electric motor for actuating said impelling means, a pair of terminals adapted to be engaged by the liquid in said tank to connect the same, a transformer having itssecondary in circuit with said terminals for reducing the voltage of the current thereat, means for supplying an alternating current to the primary of said transformer, a. relay in said circuit, an armature controlled by said relay, and an electric circuit including said motor adapted to be opened and closed by means of said armature.

2. In a machine of the kind described including a tank to hold liquid, and means for circulating said liquid in the tank, that improvement which comprises an electric motor for operating the circulating means, and an electric circuit having terminals projecting into the tank and adapted to.

be connected by the liquid therein to complete said electric circuitand cause the operation of the electric motor.

3. In a machine of the kind described, a tank, means for circulating a liquid within said tank, an electric motor for actuating said circulating means, a source of electric energy, and a pair oi terminals within the tank, normally electrically insulated from each other, and connected in series in a circuit with said source of electric energy for controlling the operation of said motor, and positioned in said tank so that liquid therein will come in contact with both terminals and close said circuit and cause the motor to actuate the circulating means.

4. In a machine of the kind described, a tank, means for circulating a liquid within the tank, an electric motor for actuating said circulating means, a source of electric energy, a pair of terminals within the tank normally electrically insulated from each other, and connected in series in a circuit with said source of electric energy for controlling the operation of the motor, and positioned in said tank so that each of them will come in contact with the liquid in said tank, thereby closing said circuit and causing the motor to actuate the circulating means, and a drain in said tank through which liquid therein may be withdrawn to free one of said terminals from contact with the liquid, thereby breaking said circuit and causing the motor and thecirculating means to become inactive.

5. In a machine of the kind described, a tank, means for circulating a liquid within said tank, an electric motor for actuating the circulating means, a pair of terminals withinthe tank normally insulated from each other electrically, and arranged to be brought into electrical connection tric energy, a pair of conductors each carrying said energy to said terminals in a circuit normally broken by said terminals and closed when said terminals are brought into electrical connection by said liquid, and means operatedby the flow of .l said energy in said circuit arranged to introduce energy. into said motor, thereby causing the motorl to actuate the circulating means when liquid in the tank develops an electrical connection between the terminals. I

6. In a machine of the kind described, a tank, means for circulating a liquid within said tank, an electricv motor for actuating the circulating means, a source of electric energy, a pair of terminals within the tank normally electrically insulated from each other and connected in series `in a circuit with said source of electric energy for controlling the operation of said motor, said terminals being so positioned in said tank that liquid therein will contact with both of said terminals and close saidl circuit and cause the motor to actuate the circulating means before liquid admitted to the tank ,imposes its maximum load on the circulating means and the motor.

7. In a machine of the kind described, a tank, means for circulating a liouid within the tank, an electric motor to operate said circulating means, an electrical circuit for conducting electric energy to operate the motor, a circuit breaker to make and break said circuit, a conductor connected in parallel with said motor and circuit breaker, and a secondary electrical circuit for conducting an electric current induced by the iiow of electric energy in said conductor and normally incomplete, said secondary circuit including two terminals in said tank and being arranged to be completed by conductivity provided by liquid in `the tank connecting said terminals and to cause the circuit breaker to close and to operate the motor.

8. In a machine of the kind described, a tank, means i'or circulating a liquid in said tank, an electric motor for actuating the circulating means, a source of electric current, a transformer to receive'said current and. to transform same into a secondary current, a device controlling the starting and stopping of said motor, and conductors for transmitting the secondary current through the liquid in the tank to said device Ato thereby cause the motor to operate.

9. In a machine of the kind described, a tank, electric motor driven -means for circulating a liquid in said tank, a pair of electric terminals within the tank arranged to be electrically joined by liquid in said tank, a iirst circuit of electrical energy for operating said motor, a circuit breaker ,arranged to close said circuit to the motor, and a second and independent circuit of electric energy arranged in /series with said terminals and adapted to` close the circuit breaker, when said terminals are electrically joined.

DOUGLAS E. BONNER. 

